4o8 



The American Ajiirle?-. 



fatal accidents which occur in shooting- 

 — ninety-nine times to country gunners 

 for one to thorough city sportsmen — are 

 owing to the obstinate insanity of car- 

 rying guns with the hammers down on 

 the caps. 



I would as soon walk a day with a man 

 who carries his gun at full-cock pointed 

 squarely at my head, as with one who 

 carries his cocks down on the nipples. 



I have written pages on this subject 

 already ; but it is impossible to write too 

 much on the subject. Yet one ignoble 

 jackass charged me in the Spirit of the 

 Times with recommending the practice 

 Of course, he knew the contrary. He 

 was a paid gunseller's hack. Colonel 

 Hawker doubts the possibility of killing 

 double shots quick and in good style, by 

 carrying the gun at half-cock, and cock- 

 ing the locks only one at a time, as the 

 bird rises. 



I do not doubt it. I have shot in no 

 other manner for five and twentv years 

 certainly killed as fair a share of double 

 shots as my neighbors, and am aware 

 that my fault in shooting is that I shoot 

 too quick, as I believe is the case with 

 ever}" one who can shoot at all. 



If you carry your gun at half-cock 

 and cock it when dogs point, there is al- 

 wa5's this danger — that dogs often road 

 on for some distance, yet following and 

 momentarily expecting a shot, but the 

 birds have stolen away unperceived — 

 the dogs begin to beat wide again — and 

 you forget all about cocking your gun, 

 become careless because you fancy her 

 at half-cock, and off she goes. 



I do not know but with a careful per- 

 son—with a careless one all methods are 

 equally dangerous — it is just as safe a 

 way as any to carry a gun at full-cock. 



I have seen fifty fine shots in my life 

 do so, and never saw an accident from 

 it. 



Still I recommend carrying the gun- 



always at half-cock, and never cock till 

 the bird rises. The first barrel is cocked 

 as bird mounts, is fired, and if a second 

 bird rises, the second barrel is cocked by 

 merely relieving the butt an inch or two 

 from the shoulder without taking it 

 down ; and the second or two lost gains 

 you more in coolness than it loses you 

 in time. 



In loading, if one barrel only is fired, 

 leave the barrel unfired at half-cock. 



Put in your powder — return your horn 

 draw two wads, put one in your teeth, 

 insert and ram home the other not too 

 hard on the poivder ; draw shot pouch, 

 pour in shot, return pouch, insert wad, 

 ram smartly home. 



After ramming the powder home run 

 the rod into the barrel not fired, to see 

 that the wad is tight, and leave it there 

 till the second barrel is shotted. A ver}' 

 little care will prevent any loose shot 

 from running in upon the rod and if it 

 does you have only to reverse the gun 

 and it will run out. 



Return your ramrod, recover the gun, 

 half-cock the discharged barrel, see that 

 the powder is up in the nipple, if not, 

 pick the nipple, reverse the gun and give 

 it a smart tap under the breech till the 

 powder, comes up. Cap your gun, and 

 all is right. 



Though the description occupies some 

 time, the operation is as quick as light- 

 ning. 



It is not a bad plan to drill a small 

 hole through the center of each wad ; 

 they are more easily rammed home, and 

 do not squeak, which squeak has lost me 

 many a shot, over broken bevies lying 

 hard. 



In bringing up your gun, take care to 



On and after January 1, 1897, the Ameri- 

 can Angler will be exclusively devoted to 

 anglings and its cognate themes, and the 

 subscription price will be reduced to ONE 

 DOLLAR. 



